City of Witches Chapter 344

Thus began the somewhat abrupt match between Diana and the Twins.

Though it was a sudden game, Diana was not flustered.

As an apprentice witch, she had more years of learning magic under her belt and was confident in her Witchboard skills.

"Your courage in challenging us is admirable, but—"

"I can already picture you running out crying."

Ignoring the Twins who were provoking her with smug smiles, Diana made her first move.

No need to pay attention to such psychological attacks.

She wanted to quickly drive the Twins out and proceed with the game in a peaceful state.

-Tap!

A solid move by Odil, securing the center of the battlefield.

Diana still didn't know the Twins' skill level.

Intending to engage closely for a probing skirmish, Diana couldn't help but be taken aback by an unexpected event.

-Tap!

Because after Odil, Odette made her move without waiting for Diana.

"What are you trying to do now?"

As Diana furrowed her brows and asked, an innocent-sounding reply came.

"What do you mean? We're in the middle of a game."

"That's against the rules. Who makes two moves at once?"

"We are the two-in-one Gemernai, so of course we play as two."

"......"

The Twins' expressions were shamelessly brazen.

There was no hint of guilt for cheating or using tricks, just a sly reaction that seemed to say, "Why are you even asking such a thing?"

"No, Witchboard is a game where you take turns making one move each."

"Huh? Are you perhaps not confident?"

"Confidence has nothing to do with it—it's cheating!"

"Witchboard is a game that evaluates magical thinking, right? If Diana and we were to fight with magic someday, we'd gang up on you then too. Would you still cry 'Cheating!' then?"

Though it hardly needed elaboration, it was sophistry.

Of course, it was true that Witchboard was a game abstracting magical combat into strategy.

However, the rule that allowed witches of different Hierarchies—even apprentice witches—to play fairly was "each player takes turns making one move."

It was the core rule underpinning the game.

To outright deny it...

If things went as the Twins said, no witch in the world could defeat the House of Gemernai.

"Well, if you're really scared, you can run away."

"Right, we saw you playing weirdly earlier anyway."

"Even if you suddenly remember something urgent and need to leave now—"

"We'll understand."

Diana let out a deep sigh.

Even before the game had properly started, she already felt utterly drained.

If only they hadn't been so irritatingly provocative, if only there hadn't been a reason to fight that male witch afterward...

She would have gone home, washed her feet, and gone to bed.

"Then I can make two moves at a time too, right? When we become witches and fight someday, the combined Computation of you two should equal mine. After all, we're of the same Hierarchy."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

Thus began the Witchboard with suddenly altered irregular rules.

The game speed doubled, and there was much more to think about.

Diana furrowed her brow tightly and focused on the Twins' moves.

The placement of magic power sources by the twin daughters of the Countess, who had learned magic through orthodox methods, was almost identical.

Their confidence wasn't entirely unfounded, as their small-scale skirmishes in the center were quite solid.

However, unlike Diana's style of stacking gains like building blocks, the Twins' style was like a wild horse running amok.

Using the battlefield widely, creating angles, and bouncing around like a rugby ball—combined with the "two moves at once" rule, it was utterly chaotic.

Moreover...

"Hmm, here... like this?"

"No, sister, look at this. (Whisperwhisperwhisper) Wouldn't this be better?"

"Odette, but if you do that, (whisperwhisperwhisper) will happen."

"No it won't! Trust me!"

"Odette! You're seeing it wrong!"

The constant psychological attacks.

Though Diana was clearly the opponent, they seemed to be fighting each other intensely.

Already irritated, Diana was being drawn into disruptive tactics she couldn't ignore.

"Could you please be quiet? If you're two-in-one, why do you have so much to talk about?"

Diana, who had been trying to maintain her dignified composure despite their underhanded tactics, couldn't help but speak up.

The Twins, who had been whispering while pulling each other's ears, stared blankly at Diana.

Something about their expression seemed eerie, making Diana flinch momentarily.

Smiles simultaneously appeared on the previously expressionless faces of the Twins.

"Aha~ Our strategy review meeting is bothering you?"

"That might be it. The game doesn't seem to be going your way either."

"Knowing your opponent's strength is important."

"You're not a complete fool after all."

"Hoo..."

She shouldn't have said anything.

She had just given those fools an excuse to pick a fight.

"Fine, I won't say anything. Let's just play the game."

30 minutes elapsed.

"Ah, really, sister. That's why I said we should place it elsewhere..."

"You were the one being stubborn about the Rune capture earlier and lost because of it!"

"Hmph."

Diana wore a somewhat relieved expression, allowing herself a subtle smile.

She had thoroughly deflated the Twins' arrogance that had been chattering noisily since earlier.

Even considering the hastily changed rules, they weren't difficult opponents.

True to being apprentice witches from a prestigious family, they showed solid fundamentals and stable play, but...

That was it.

The Twins' play was extremely emotional.

They fell for minor provocations and took losses, became overconfident when slightly ahead and charged in only to collapse on their own.

With such differences already apparent, how could they possibly defeat Diana while bickering about whether to place here or there?

Diana demanded their exit in a triumphant voice.

"Well then, the losers should quietly leave. You haven't forgotten our promise, have you?"

"Ugh, your tone is so annoying."

"Show-off."

The losers' provocations didn't bother her in the slightest.

Their grumbling complaints rather felt like a refreshing breeze in her heart.

Siwoo gently consoled the pouting Twins.

"Starting tomorrow, my host bar work will be over, so I'll have plenty of time. We can play a lot then."

"Alright, Assistant. Don't forget our evening appointment tonight. I'll play the piano for you."

"We'll listen to Assistant and wait patiently."

The Twins naturally gave Siwoo a peck on each cheek.

Simultaneously, Diana's eyes widened.

Her mouth, which had been smiling faintly in the joy of victory, also formed an O shape.

"Wha-wha-wha-what did you just do?"

Had she seen wrong?

"What? Just a goodbye kiss."“S-s-so... you kissed him?”

“You saw it with your own eyes, what are you talking about?”

Of course, a light kiss on the cheek is a sign of affection.

Diana also knew that the Countess always gave her a peck before bed, and that close Witches would lightly kiss each other on both cheeks when meeting after a long time.

But the other party is a man.

And Odil and Odette are Apprentice Witches of the Countess’s family.

Even if they are Witches, kissing a man on the cheek—someone who could cause trouble with just a careless touch?

Diana could hear the sound of her common sense shattering into pieces.

“I-i-it’s, it’s, it’s vulgar...! A n-n-noble’s demeanor should be...”

Diana began to stutter like a broken radio.

Her intense reaction made the Twins tilt their heads, then a sly smile spread across their faces.

It was almost like an uncle’s smile.

They had figured out why Diana was reacting like that.

Since both Odil and Odette had similar experiences, it was nothing new to them.

“Aha~ You were acting all grown-up, but you don’t know anything, do you?”

“It’s possible, sister. They say a frog in a well thinks the sky is square!”

“You don’t even know how babies are made, do you?”

Diana snapped back to her senses under the Twins’ continued provocation.

“Who do you think I am...! Witches can’t make babies!”

“No, not that.”

“She really doesn’t know, huh...?”

Diana was bewildered by the Twins’ incredulous expressions.

The Apprentice Witches of the Gemernai Family seemed completely unaware of how dangerous that action was.

No matter how much she disliked them, she didn’t wish for a perfectly fine Apprentice Witch to ruin her life.

If they were doing something reckless out of ignorance, she had to correct their common sense.

“Listen carefully.”

Diana looked at the Twins with a serious expression.

“Apprentice Witches must not make careless contact with men.”

“We know that.”

“You know?”

“If you know, how could you do that! If you kiss on the cheek and accidentally bump lips... you could lose your Vessel.”

Question marks floated above the Twins’ heads.

“What does that mean?”

“What’s wrong with kissing on the lips?”

“...Kissing on the lips could lead to babies... and... and in the first place, it’s the lewd acts with men that ruin the Vessel... Are you fools?”

Diana glared at the Twins as if to say, “Do I really have to spell out this embarrassing stuff?”

Only then did the Twins realize.

The Twins, too, had once been greenhouse flowers ignorant about male-female sexuality.

After all, relationships between men and women were taboo for Apprentice Witches.

But that Diana Yesod over there was a flower in an incubator, lacking even basic knowledge beyond ignorance.

“Hey, look at this.”

“Kyaaak!!! What are you doing?!”

Odil boldly grabbed Siwoo’s cheek and planted a peck on his lips.

Diana shot up from her seat, screaming.

It wasn’t because the scene was obscene.

If someone jumped in front of a carriage, anyone would have the same reaction.

Diana couldn’t bear to watch, tightly closing her eyes and trembling.

When she peeked, she saw Odil shrugging her shoulders.

“See? Nothing happened.”

“Sister, that’s unfair! How can you sneak a kiss all by yourself?!”

Immediately after, Odette also gave Siwoo a peck.

Diana turned pale, almost to the point of respiratory distress.

“Huh?”

But as time passed, nothing happened.

If the Vessel were damaged, there should naturally be some kind of magic power reaction, but the surroundings remained utterly calm.

“And who said kissing on the lips damages the Vessel?”

“For that, you’d need to have sex. Sex.”

Diana shot up from her seat.

Aside from the shock akin to realizing the Earth was flat, the obscene act unfolding before her eyes brought with it a tremendous wave of nausea.

“Y-y-you’re all perverts...! How could you do that in front of others...!”

Diana staggered to her feet and dashed out of the Host Bar as if fleeing.

Odil and Odette simply watched her retreating figure with blank expressions.

Author’s Note (Afterword)

• I’m getting my second vaccine shot on the 12th.

I’ll probably take a break for a day or twoㅜㅜ

• The gloomy weather lately has been sapping my motivation, so I haven’t been able to write continuously.

I hope sunny days return soon.

• The Diana illustration will be handled by Sorrowful Spider-nim until early November.

Given the circumstances, it seems like it’ll be finished sooner than Amelia’s illustration.